POLITICAL ECONOMY AND FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT 政治經濟學和外國直接投資課程dissertation

Case Overview - 案例綜述This case describes Ireland's transformation from one of Europe's poorest countries to one of its richest in just 10 years, earning it the title Celtic Tiger. The spectacular http://www.ttc-switch.com/ story of growth and recovery is attributed, in large part, to foreign direct investment (FDI), particularly from the United Sates. The government of Ireland has continually nurtured the climate for investment and has aggressively sought investment projects through its investment promotion arm, Ireland Development Authority (IDA),

Learning Objectives 學習目標 - This case explores and evaluates the cost and benefits of FDI with respect to Ireland in particular and host economies in general. It therefore, fulfils broad learning objectives related to this course, however, the primary learning objective of this assessment task is appreciate the macro-economic causes of growth in an economy and the subsequent and/or consequential influence on FDI. Through an analysis of the political economy in this context, this assessment is also designed to evaluate your ability to apply your understanding of the political economy and country attractiveness for investment.  

Advice 建議 – Remember that the political economy stresses that the political, economic and legal systems of a country are interdependent; they interact and influence each other, and in doing so they affect the level of economic well-being.  The study of the political economy stresses the combined effect of factors in assessing the economic well being of a country and subsequently that country’s attractiveness as a destination for foreign direct investment. In light of this, it is expected (and even encouraged) that you will overlap and integrate your discussion around the different components of political economy (e.g. the connection between political decisions and economic management being the most obvious overlap).  In addition to demonstrating your understanding of the case material, you are also required to critically appraise the political economy of Ireland in light of the global financial crisis 2007-2010. To complete this part of the assessment task you may need to undertake supplementary research outlining the impact of the global financial crisis (GFC) on Ireland and to present a careful analytical evaluation of Ireland’s political economy and the country’s future attractiveness as a destination for foreign direct investment post-GFC (Part B of the case provides an important overview to assist you in this task).  As of November/December 2010 teams from the International Monetary Fund and The European Union are now examining the economic (and financial) stability of Ireland as this developed country economy was the most negatively affected by the recent global financial crisis (OECD, 2009).

Formatting, submission and word count 格式整理，提交essay，字數統計- Size 12 font (Arial or Times New Roman)  and 1.5 line spacing. You are required to submit this assessment electronically through Turnitin.  No hardcopies are required. The word count of your case study analysis should be between 1000-1500 words maximum. This range is provided to give you #p#分頁標題#e#http://www.ttc-switch.com/ some flexibility in how you write your analysis; however, you can conclude from this range that the case analysis can be effectively completed with just 1000 words.  You are required to demonstrate your ability to keep within the recommended range of words while still providing a comprehensive analysis of the case.  If you go above the maximum word count you will be penalised.

Marking Criteria (first column) 評分標準– the following marking criteria and marking rubric will be utilised when grading this assessment.  A more detailed explanation of these marking criteria can be provided during class.